There are many applications in academic, industrial, and medical fields that benefit from devices and methods that are capable of accurately and controllably delivering fluids, such as liquids and gases that have a beneficial effect when administered in known and controlled quantities. Such devices and methods can be particularly useful in the medical field where treatments for many patients include the administration of a known amount of a substance at predetermined intervals.
Insulin-injecting pumps have been developed for the administration of insulin for those suffering from both type I and type II diabetes. Recently, continuous subcutaneous insulin injection and/or infusion therapy with portable infusion devices has been adapted for the treatment of diabetes. Such therapy may include the regular and/or continuous injection or infusion of insulin into the skin of a person suffering from diabetes and offer an alternative to multiple daily injections of insulin by an insulin syringe or an insulin pen. Such pumps can be ambulatory/portable infusion pumps that are worn by the user and may use replaceable cartridges. Examples of such pumps and various features that can be associated with such pumps include those disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/557,163, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/714,299, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/538,018, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/655,883, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/656,967 and U.S. Pat. No. 8,287,495, each of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Portable insulin pumps can be used in conjunction with continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices. A CGM provides a substantially continuous estimated blood glucose level through a transcutaneous sensor that measures analytes, such as glucose, in the patient's interstitial fluid rather than their blood. CGM systems typically consist of a transcutaneously-placed sensor, a transmitter and a monitor. A CGM system allows a patient or caregiver to insert a single sensor probe under the skin for multiple days. Thus, the patient is only required to perform a single moderately invasive action with a single entry point in the subdermal layer on, e.g., a weekly basis.
Ambulatory insulin infusion pumps typically allow the patient or caregiver to adjust the amount of insulin delivered, by a basal rate or a bolus, based on blood glucose data obtained by a blood glucose meter or CGM. Some ambulatory insulin infusion pumps may include the capability to interface with a BGM or CGM such as, e.g., by receiving measured or estimated blood glucose levels and prompting the user to adjust the level of insulin being administered or planned for administration or, in cases of abnormally high blood glucose readings, prompting temporary cessation of insulin administration. These portable pumps may incorporate a BGM or CGM within the hardware of the pump or may communicate with a dedicated BGM or CGM via, wired or wireless data communication protocols. Such pumps may be particularly important in facilitating patient compliance and improved or more accurate treatment of diabetes. The delivery of insulin from a portable insulin pump making use of CGM data necessitates accurate and reliable CGM data output.
Generally, when CGM devices are used in conjunction with insulin pumps, the CGM device has a separate display from the insulin pump and the user must manually transfer data from the CGM to the pump in order for the pump to incorporate the data into its functioning. Even in instances where the pump can automatically receive CGM data, such as through a wireless connection, or incorporates the CGM in the pump, a user often must scroll through a number of screens of the pump to review the pump and CGM data and make a determination as to whether and how the data indicates that the user should activate the pump.
Therefore, there is a need for a system and a method for better integrating usage of CGM devices and data with insulin pumps.